Wednesday, April 25, 2012

Euclid Records is continuing to bring live music into the store, with new performances scheduled by the Right Now on Saturday, May 5 at 2:00 pm, and the Sights on Tuesday, May 16 at 1:00 pm. The Right Now is a soul and rhythm & blues act out of Chicago which has been described by website The Vinyl District as sounding like what would happen “if Joss Stone fronted Fitz and the Tantrums.” The Sights, on the other hand, are long-time Euclid Record favorites from Detroit, and their music is built on the exciting riff & melody rock’n’roll of the mid-60s.
The Right Now were formed a couple years ago in Chicago, and have already released two full-length albums, Carry Me Home in 2010, and the brand new Gets Over You. The band is fronted by powerhouse vocalist Stefanie Berecz, who has been compared to Chaka Khan in addition to Joss Stone. Their fiery brand of soul and r & b, as well as their ability to slow down to exquisite steaminess on torch songs, has landed the Right Now plenty of tours and festival appearances, and opening slots for the likes of Bettye Lavette, Otis Clay, and George Clinton. They’ve also had their music placed in an episode of CSI: Crime Scene Investigation last year. The Right Now will be performing at Euclid Records the day after their show at the Old Rock House.
The Sights have come down from Detroit several times in recent years, and in fact, Euclid Records released a 10” record, The Sights Live at Euclid, in 2010. Vocalist/guitarist Eddie Baranek has led a revolving cast of Sights members since 1998. Baranek’s brilliant songwriting and gung-ho stage presence have captured the hearts of all who have seem them play. In fact, they impressed actor Jack Black and his partner Kyle Gass of Tenacious D to bring the band along with them for a national tour. This should be the biggest exposure the Sights have ever had, and this little rock’n’roll band will gain many new converts. The Sights will be appearing only at Euclid Records as they pass through St. Louis this time, but will be back in July opening for Tenacious D at the Pageant.

Wednesday, April 11, 2012

We're just ten days out from Record Store Day, so we thought we'd give you a quick rundown on the bands kind enough to play while you're shopping for all the incredible music you'll take home with you next weekend. We figure this will help you find the perfect times to visit Euclid Records next weekend. Remember, we'll be celebrating Friday night, Apr. 20 before the big shebang on Saturday, Apr. 21 (when all the limited edition titles go on sale) and continuing again on Sunday, Apr. 22.

7 pm: Doom Town. These guys were picked as best punk band in town by the RFT in 2010. Here's a sample:

8 pm: Magic City. One of the most provocative and evocative bands in St. Louis - rock of intensity and power. Here they are covering Big Star:

Saturday, Apr. 21

11 am: Mucca Pazza. They call themselves an astounding circus-punk marching band, and there's nothing in the world quite like them. See:

Noon: Big Brother Thunder & the Master Blasters. St. Louis has been buzzing about these guys for months; you won't want to miss them.

1 pm: Sink the Bismark. Punk rock with catchy melodies from this St. Louis band. IHPR will be issuing their phenomenal LP, "Sine Metu" in an ultra-limited RSD version as well.

2 pm: Judge Nothing. If you're of a certain age, you'll remember these guys as stalwarts of the early 90s independent rock scene in the St. Louis area. They split up about 15 years back, and they will be playing their first reunion performance right here in our store. And then again that night at Fubar.

3 pm: The Painkillers. If you're a few years older, you may remember the Painkillers, one of the best pop outfits in town back in the 80s. Euclid Records finally issued their music on CD last Record Store Day, and the three surviving members of the band have played a hand-full of gigs since then. It's always a pleasure to pay tribute to the songs of the late Jeff Barbush. Here they are back in the day:

4 pm: JC Brooks & the Uptown Sound. You think they don't make soul music like they used to? Check out this Chicago band as they rock the house with some stirring old school styles. Oh, yeah, and they cover Wilco:

5 pm: The Jans Project. Three of the four members in the Jans Project used to play together in the early 80s in a band called Turning Curious. But that just proves they have a pedigree; their music is decidedly modern and enormously cool. Here they are last year on Record Store Day:

6 pm: Finns Motel. Back when Judge Nothing was roaming the local scene, the Finn Brothers were making a splash, too. Joe Finn has moved on to even bigger and better things, albeit with fewer performances. This is a rare appearance by his current project. Alas, we have no video, but trust us, this band is terrific.

7 pm: Sleepy Kitty. Euclid Records loves this band - their album Infinity City was one of our best sellers in the store last year. Did we mention they record for our very own label? One of the best bands in St. Louis right now, no question.

Sunday Apr. 22

Noon: The Tower Groove Review with Beth Bombara, Ransom Note, Tone Rodent, and the Feed. From the South side of St. Louis, four excellent and diverse musical dishes will be playing back to back to back to back.

3 pm: Tenement Ruth. For several years now, Tenement Ruth have been lurking on the St. Louis music scene and they have achieved a reputation as one of the most entertaining outfits in town. Here they cover Tom Waits:

4 pm: Bob Reuter. The godfather of St. Louis original music. He's been playing pretty regularly around town since 1967 in various and sundry configurations. His brand new album with his latest band Alley Ghost will be released on Sunday, Apr. 15. The man is a local treasure, and we are excited to have him back playing in the store.

5 pm: Black Fast. This young and whiplash-inducing metal band were the talk of last year's Record Store Day weekend. The RFT called them the best metal band in St. Louis last year, and we'd be hard-pressed to argue with that.

6 pm: Troubadour Dali. And we close Record Store Day weekend with one of our favorite bands, the first artist to release an album on our label. Now with two full-length discs behind them, Troubadour Dali continues to mine the psychedelic, swirling, and edgy sounds that caught our attention, only they do it better every time.

So now you know which acts you really want to see. We'll be here all weekend, selling incredible music, putting out bargains on the sidewalk sale, making sure you find the limited editions, enjoying the drinks and food for sale while listening to the djs outside, and passing out the free PBR to those old enough. Apr. 20-22, Record Store Weekend, a guaranteed blast.

Tuesday, April 3, 2012

The Baseball Project, a super-group consisting of long-time indie rockers Steve Wynn (of the Dream Syndicate and Gutterball), Scott McCaughey (of Young Fresh Fellows, R.E.M., and the Minus 5), Linda Pitmon (of Wynn’s backing band the Miracle Three), and Peter Buck (of R.E.M. and the Minus 5), will release a brand new single Apr. 21 (Record Store Day) recorded live at Euclid Records New Orleans a year ago. This will be the latest release in the Euclid Sessions series of live recordings from our two stores, and the first to be done in New Orleans. The single contains “El Hombre,” an original song in homage to the fantastic career of departed St. Louis Cardinal Albert Pujols, and an updated version of “Harvey Haddix,” a song honoring the major league pitchers who have thrown perfect games, and which now includes mentions of Mark Buehrle, Dallas Braden, and Roy Halliday, who joined the exclusive club since the original song was on the first Baseball Project album in 2008.

Long-time fans of the great American pastime, Wynn and McCaughey put together the Baseball Project a few years back as an opportunity to tell musical stories about so many of the colorful players and events from baseball’s long history. They have released two albums, Volume 1: Frozen Ropes and Dying Quails, and Volume 2: High and Inside, as well as a collection of songs written as commentary on the 2010 major league season for ESPN, put together as The Broadside Ballads.

The cover for the 7” single is an absolute marvel, a beautiful lenticular design by artist Amelie Mancini, which features alternating views of Pujols famous batting stance, Haddix’s explosive pitching form, and the faces of the two players from different eras. The design can be viewed here.

The Euclid Sessions series has been limited to 300 copies in the past, but this release is the first to get national exposure, as 1000 copies have been pressed to be sent out to select independent record stores as part of the annual Record Store Day celebration. Most Record Store Day releases sell out very quickly, so this bigger run may result in a scarcer object within a short time. Anyone interested in picking up this collector’s item and musical pleasure is urged to show up at Euclid Records or their local independent store as early as possible on Apr. 21. As usual, $1 for each one pressed is donated to the New Orleans Musicians Relief Fund (NOMRF) to benefit musicians displaced or suffering loss of equipment in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina.

Euclid Records has a devoted to the series. Here you can find out about upcoming in-store events, read up on past events, subscribe to the series or order/pre-order upcoming 45's. Subscribers will received a very limited colored vinyl version of the record. They can also purchase most of the limited colored vinyl versions of older titles as well. These are extremely limited and are nearly all gone.

About Me

Welcome to Lockwood and Summit, home of Euclid Records St. Louis both physically and electronically. The Euclid staff will inform you on great releases both new and old, our obsessions and any and all things related to music and the record/CD business. Stop by Lockwood and Summit often, both physically and electronically.